New Beginnings
by BeingAWolfGirl
Summary: Set after season 2. What would have happened if Julia survived being hit by a car?
1. Awakenings

I shouldn't be here.

That's all I can think as I walk down the sidewalk that will inevitably lead to Josh's house. I went through my door. I _know_ I did. I opened that door and looked back, and the last thing I saw before Heaven was Josh. I hadn't wanted to die, of course – I mean, who _wants_ to die? Things were finally starting to get better for me and Josh. I had hope again – hope that he and I would finally work through the things that had torn us apart. I had wanted to trust him again, I really had.

Then he became a monster before my eyes. Or started to, anyways. My first thought was to turn and run, I mean, my sweet, funny Josh was changing into _something_ very unhuman right before me. And as I turned to run, something in his eyes made me hesitate for just a moment, and I turned back to look at him again – that's when the car hit me.

After that, after I took my door - everything got very dark and very foggy – just flashes of light and sound. I could feel them working on me to save my life. I knew people were there, and I knew how bad off I was. And then there was nothing for a long time. No pain, no voices, no flashes. Just darkness. I don't know how long that lasted, but then there were flashes again, just words drifting in and out of my brain. I knew Josh was there, I could feel his hand clutching mine, I could hear the worry in his voice as he talked to my doctors. If there is one thing Josh Levinson is good at, it's worrying. He's been like that his whole life, according to his parents. In school, he would worry about his grades, impressing me and his parents, whether he'd get into MIT – anything that could be worried about was on his mental list. That cute little furrow in his forehead he gets when he is in worry mode is going to be permanently etched into his skin, I think.

When I woke up this morning, perfectly alive and in the same hospital I work at, my first thought was of Josh and how happy he would be. There are some perks to being a doctor and having a vast knowledge of anything medical, and it had only taken a moment's careful thought to realize that I was intubated – at some point I had apparently needed a machine to help me breathe. It didn't take long for me to carefully pull the tube out of my body, even though alarms were ringing to alert the nurses. I almost want to laugh recalling the looks on their faces – clearly none of them thought I was going to survive.

The hardest part was letting the doctors and nurses poke and prod at me for the next two hours. Of course, they weren't exactly thrilled that I extubated myself, but honestly, how could I tolerate having that thing jammed down my throat when I was awake and breathing on my own?


	2. Finding My Way Back To You

Realizing that my thoughts had taken me far away from reality, if only for a few moments, I stopped as I reached the house Josh shared with Aidan. I was really glad Aidan was Josh's best friend. He was a really great guy, and, well, sometimes Josh needed someone around who had a touch better social skills than he. Everyone who met Josh knew he wasn't a smooth talker, after all, and most just overlooked him as that awkward guy who probably reads the dictionary for fun on a Saturday night.

But I knew better. Sure, Josh is awkward. Sure, he's shy. But those were actually things that drew me to him in college. He wasn't your typical frat guy. He truly cared about doing his absolute best in college, and once he and I got to know each other, I realized how much he truly cared about people. He didn't want to become a doctor simply for the paycheck. He truly wanted to help people. Sure, his OCD drives me nuts sometimes – I mean, what man scrubs the bathtub with a toothbrush at two in the morning?

Despite all the quirks that made Josh… _Josh_…. I had been in love with the man since our second date. It had actually taken him three months to ask me out – I had a little mental bet with myself, see. If he hadn't asked me out by the fourth month after we met, I had told myself I was simply going to take control of the situation and ask him out myself. Luckily, he had finally found the courage to stammer and stutter his way through an invitation to dinner and a movie. How could I not agree to go with him, especially when I already found him far more adorable than he even knew?

It didn't take long for me to fall completely in love with him. To this day, I don't think it's ever completely registered with him just how much I do love him. Even knowing what he is – a werewolf – that changes nothing for me. He's still my sweet, kind, smart, funny and adorable Josh. Still the same man inside I fell in love with.

Staring up at the front door of Josh's house, I took a moment to straighten my hair into whatever semblance of decency I could manage. I was sure I looked horrible – being laid out in a hospital bed probably didn't do a lot for me – but I just wanted to see Josh. I wanted him to know that I was alright, and that I still wanted to be with him, that I loved him.

Carefully making my way up the stairs to the front door, I knocked softly, hoping Josh was home. When that door opened and his familiar soft doe brown eyes met mine, I smiled softly before wrapping my arms around him. "Hi, Josh."


	3. Reunion

**One Hour Ago**

My phone rang on the bedside table, but I ignored it, far too engrossed in the movie I was watching on my laptop. Nora was cuddled up beside me, my arm casually around her, her familiar scent wafting around me. The full moon was only four days away, which meant we were both feeling the effects of its pull more than normal. With a small laugh, Nora pokes me in the side playfully, and, smiling, I pull my gaze away from the small laptop screen to look at her.

"**Shouldn't you answer that, Josh? It could be the hospital, or your sister or something.**"

I certainly wasn't looking forward to a phone call from work. Why on earth would I want to pick up a shift when this was one of the only days that Nora and I could spend together? Since Julia's accident six months ago, Nora and I had grown closer. Things weren't perfect, and they never would be – what relationship is perfect, after all? But she had actually been my anchor through it, along with Aidan and Sally. When the doctors had told me that they weren't sure if Julia would ever wake up, well, I needed someone, and those three had been there every step of the way.

"**No. They probably want me to work. I am far too happy watching stupid movies on Netflix with you to subject myself to that, or to more of Em's relationship drama.**"

Nora just shook her head, and I settled back in, my attention once more pulled to the laptop. I was due to start med school in another week, so I was definitely trying to enjoy what free time I had before then. Med school tends to become your life once you start it, and I wanted to make sure Aidan, Sally and Nora had whatever time I had right now spent with them. My life was good right now, despite my affliction, and despite Julia's condition. It was in a holding pattern with her, but she was stable and alive, and I was certain she'd be alright with me being happy.

**RIGHT NOW**

"**Hi, Josh.**"

A familiar pair of arms wrapped around me, and my brain was still processing how on earth Julia was standing at my door. It was definitely her, though, she still smelled and sounded exactly the same. Not a lot actually shocked me anymore, I mean, becoming a werewolf is kinda the coup de grace. Finally, my mouth caught up with my brain, and I took a step back, my brown eyes meeting Julia's, the shock still probably registered in them.

"**Julia! Y-you're awake! And mobile! W-what.. w-when did this happen?**"

I knew she was going to laugh at my expression. Julia had always told me I made the cutest faces when I was shocked or stressed, though I never believed her. Julia tended to see the good things in me that I had always thought were bad. She never seemed to mind that I was awkward and shy, preferring a good book to a night out barhopping. She just loved me for who I was, and that is something I will always appreciate.

Indeed, a small laugh did escape her lips, and I could only smile back at her before leaning in, my lips meeting hers in a loving kiss. She was back, my Julia was back. I didn't know what, exactly had happened, but I was thankful.


End file.
